Sporting KC acquires defender Daneil Cyrus

Trinidad and Tobago National Team defender Daneil Cyrus will join Sporting Kansas City on loan for the 2011 season, the club announced Saturday.

"Daneil is a young player that we have had our eye on for a while and we're glad to now have him join our club," Sporting Kansas City Manager Peter Vermes said. "He brings a new dimension to our defensive depth with his size and athleticism and we think he has a bright future ahead of him."

Cyrus, 20 years old and 6’3”, joined Sporting Kansas City for the 2011 pre-season after being identified by the club’s technical staff at a combine in Trinidad and Tobago in December 2010. He appeared in each of Sporting Kansas City’s first four pre-season matches in Arizona.

"It's an opportunity that I have been patiently waiting on for some time," Cyrus said. "And I'm really grateful for the opportunity being presented to me by Sporting Kansas City and also FC Santa Rosa. This is a new chapter in my career and I will work as hard as I can to perform at my best and help the club achieve the best results possible.”

He comes to Kansas City from FC Santa Rosa, whom he joined in March 2010 before being loaned to Caledonia AIA of the Trinidad and Tobago Pro League for the last two seasons.

Cyrus has 13 appearances for the Trinidad and Tobago National Team since debuting against Chile in May 2010. He also represented his country in the 2007 FIFA Under-17 World Cup in Korea and the 2009 FIFA Under-20 World Cup in Egypt, appearing in all three of the team’s group stage matches at each tournament.

Cyrus has been added to the team’s roster and will occupy an international roster spot. In keeping with team policy, terms of the contract will not be disclosed.